Today’s Tech Sightings:

Britain’s Investigatory Powers Tribunal found that intelligence agencies have been running bulk data-collection programs for the last 17 years, in violation of EU privacy protections in many cases. Web traffic, location and device data, biographies, and financial activities were all collected for years without the knowledge or consent of their owners

Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft’s former CEO Bill Gates, and Melinda Gates, co-founder of the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, were on Hillary Clinton campaign’s shortlist for vice president. The revelation in an email from Clinton’s campaign manager, John Podesta, is part of a batch of documents released by WikiLeaks.

Computer scientists at the University of California-Irvine believe selfies can make people happier. A limited study documented the moods of 41 students for a week, then asked them to take pictures and record their emotions for the following three weeks. The assignment involved taking pictures, including selfies, that make the students happy. After collecting more than 2,000 mood measurements, the scientists found that all participants experienced increased positive moods.

Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.